'Sir,' Mr. Merridew obeyed the call and approached me, bowing with great humility. His cringing salute was almost as nauseous as the impudent brutality which he had shown in the Thieves' Kitchen. 'Sir, I am pleased to make your honoured acquaintance. I hardly expected, in this place where I am confined by accident----' 'Oh! Sir, I did not come here to make your acquaintance, believe me.' 'Sir, I am pleased to have speech with you, even in this place, and if only to remove a misunderstanding which seems to have arisen regarding my part in the late unhappy business. If you will kindly remember, Sir, I merely testified to what I saw, being an accidental eye-witness. The night was dark: there was a scuffle. You will bear me out, Sir--so far--a scuffle--whether you were attacking that fellow'--he pointed to the Bishop who with his friend the Captain was now looking on--'or that other fellow'--he indicated the Captain--'villains both, Sir,--both--who, but for my mistaken kindness, would have been hanged long ago--I cannot exactly say. I may have been--perhaps--we all make mistakes--too ready to believe the other side, and what they said. However, that is all over and, of course, I shall be set free in an hour or two. With expressions of sorrow, for an undeserved imprisonment----' He looked in my face for some expression of sympathy but, I believe, found none. 'No malice, Sir, I hope.' He held out the abominable hand which was steeped in the blood of his victims and rank with the stink of his wickedness. 'I hope, Sir, that if the case comes to trial, I may not see you among the prosecutors.' I maintained silence and took no notice of his proffered hand. 'But indeed, I shall certainly be out in an hour or two: or perhaps a day or two. My case has not yet, perhaps, been laid before the authorities. I am here as a mere matter of form. Ha!--form--in fact I have no business here--no business at all--no business.' His voice sank to a whisper, showing the real agitation of his mind. 'Mr. Merridew, I have not come here with any desire to converse with you.' 'You are not going to bear malice, Mr. Halliday? Be content with exposing two villains. Two will be enough--If you want more there is Probus. He's an extraordinary villain. As for you, Sir, consider: you are a fortunate man, Sir. You ought to be in the condemned cell. You have got off against all expectation, and when everybody, to a man, thought it was a certainty. Had I been consulted by your sweetheart I should have advised her, Sir, I should, indeed, so strong a case was it--to my experienced mind, Sir, I should have advised her, Sir, to buy the cap and the ribbons and the nosegay and the Orange--Oh! a fortunate man, indeed!' As if he had had nothing whatever to do with the case! As if there had been no Conspiracy!